Diezani Alison Finally Charged to UK court over Bribery

 Diezani Alison-Madueke, Nigeria’s former minister of petroleum resources has been to court over an alleged £100,000 bribe by 

 the United Kingdom (UK) government finally, THE CABLE News reports. 

 

  The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) said they suspected Diezani had accepted bribes in return for awarding multi-million-pound oil and gas contracts.  

 In a statement published on its website on Tuesday, NCA said Diezani will appear at Westminster magistrates court on October 2, for the case.  

 “She is alleged to have benefitted from at least £100,000 in cash, chauffeur-driven cars, flights on private jets, luxury holidays for her family, and the use of multiple London properties,” the statement reads.  

 

 “Her charges also detail financial rewards including furniture, renovation work and staff for the properties, payment of private school fees, and gifts from high-end designer shops such as Cartier jewellery and Louis Vuitton goods.” 

 

 In March this year, the NCA also provided evidence to the US department of justice that enabled them to recover assets totalling USD $53.1 million linked to Diezan’s alleged corruption.  "This allegation is  a milestone in  a thorough and complex international  investigation," said Andy Kelly, director of the NCA's International Corrupt Practices Unit (ICU).  

 

 “Bribery is a  widespread  form of  corruption that leads to  serious  crime  and can  be fatal in  developing countries. We will continue to work with  our domestic and international  partners  to  address this  threat,”  added Kelly.  

 In October 2015,  Diego  and four  others  were arrested in the UK  on  bribery and money laundering  charges.  

  Diezzani was released on  bail  by a British magistrate's court,  but  when  she was asked to report  to  Charing Cross  Police Station, she  was  arrested and her passport was confiscated. Diego served as Secretary  of  Petroleum Resources  from 2010 to 2015 during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan. 

  Jonathan left the country in 2015 just  before  handing power  to President  Muhammad Buhari.  

 The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)  said  the former minister stole $2.5 billion from the Nigerian government while  he  was  minister.  

 She denied  her charges and  the EFCC  subsequently began proceedings  to extradite her. 

 

  The federal government  obtained  a  court  order  to seize Diezani's property, including 18 apartments and six penthouses,  located  on  Banana Island Foreshore  Estate in Lagos Ikoyi.  

 Over the past few years, Diezani and two of her business associates — Kola Aluko, and Jide Omokore have been facing trial over alleged fraud in the procurement of oil contracts and money laundering in Nigeria and the US. 

 

  In 2017, the US government filed a suit to recover $144 million in assets that were purportedly acquired with proceeds from a shady scheme in Nigeria’s oil industry. 

  Aluko and Omokore were said to have paid bribes between 2011 and 2015 to Diezani in exchange for contracts.  

 Diezani reportedly used her position to secure contracts for Aluko and Omokri’s shell companies through a subsidiary of the defunct Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) — now the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.